A Trip in Paradise
by The Ikran Rider
Summary: The Bebop team come across a zealous group called the Drifters, whose purpose is to convert all interplanetary dwellers, including bounty hunters, and bring them to a mystical world called Emperyea. Will Spike and his comrades prevent universal crisis?


**A/N: After five years in hiatus, much like the epic Recessional of the Red Dragons, it has come into fruition. For some odd reason, this crazy story actually came to me when I saw the Simpsons episode, The Joy of the Sect; I guess the Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle count as well, even though that was pretty lame. So, I decided to make this as one of the bounty hunting misadventures for the new Bebop crew. Enjoy.**

It all started inside the renovated convenient store of what used to be Annie's devastated outlet. It's been nearly six weeks since the Red Dragons War ended in Mars, and Spike and Trudy have never been as content, or rather bored out of their minds.

Spike was just lazing around and snoring loudly upon the couch, while Trudy peeked out of the closed blinds from a nearby window using a pair of binoculars. The streets were vacant with only a small handful of patrons walking around, and the weather was overcast with a promise of light rain. Or rather dust; rumor has it there'd be an oncoming dust storm in the next few days, probably one of the most tumultuous yet.

As a Martian, Spike knew firsthand on preparing for a huge dust storm, and preparations, indeed, must be made. Julia was currently shopping for food and supplies, and ammo, for the rough weather ahead.

Still, the entire week lacked plenty of action, and there hadn't been a new bounty mission since. Needless to say, Trudy was growing more restless and anxious as she missed being aboard the Bebop tracking down any leads and enduring some unfortunate, and sometimes wild, events.

Just then, the Televid switched onto a familiar program accompanied by a rapid-playing banjo.

"Howdy amigos! And welcome to another new and prune segment of Big Shot!" Punch announced.

That brought out Trudy from her slump and she rushed over to Spike. She tugged at his arm, trying to wake him. "Hey, Spike. Spike, wake up! It's Big Shot! We have another bounty head!" she spoke enthusiastically.

It was thanks to a generous donation provided by the Bebop team from the hefty amounts of cash they received from the war effort, about ₩200,000 (200,000 woolongs) got both Punch and Judy back on the air. It was greatly needed since they used the program as a source for searching for a huge profit.

"Wha-uh?" Spike awakened. His eyes were still crossed as he wiped the sand out of them.

"It's Big Shot. We gotta see what our new bounty is." Trudy surly didn't want her mentor to miss this, though it was hard on writing down the intel since the program was fast-paced. Good thing Zero never missed a thing.

"Today, we had just found two abnormal people located somewhere outside of Tharsis."

"That's right, Judy." Two portraits appeared on the screen, one male and one female. Each of their names and personal info were listed below them, unfortunately Trudy was unable to keep up. "They belong to some underground occult known as the Drifters. And their mission is to send us to a distant, fake planet called Emperyea. And with this coming dust storm, it couldn't possibly come at a better time. For just ₩15,000 each, catch these criminals and rally 'em to justice."

"₩30,000? Who couldn't resist." Spike said while the cowboys kept rambling. Then suddenly, their demeanors have changed somewhat; it was though they seemed to be dazed but deliriously happy.

"Ah, yes. The Master should take care of us. Wouldn't he, Judy?"

"He would, indeed, Punch. With the Master's support," she smacked her hands together and looked as if she was praying. "we won't have to stress over our job and scrounge for bounties anymore, and we can live in harmony together."

"Huh? That's weird." Spike was very clueless by their sudden awkward reaction. "I've never seen them act like this."

"Neither have I." Trudy added, sharing Spike's unease.

As the two wranglers went on and on about gathering all the inhabitants of Tharsis and convincing them to join the Drifters, Spike switched of the TV and remained unaffected. "Well I am going to receive the ₩30,000, I don't care of some fantastical occult. We're bounty hunters and that's what we do, goddammit."

Spike's determination always seems to rub off on her. She stood up and spoke proudly, "I'm with you, Spike! ₩30,000 should handle us for a while. How bad can it be to earn some more dough? Besides we need it to prepare ourselves for that dust stor-"

Jingles from overhead bells were heard as Julia stepped in. She was holding an enormous bag of goods.

"Ah, Julia, good news!" Trudy exclaimed. "We just received another opportunity for an incredible bounty hunt, ₩30,000."

"That's ₩15,000 each for the two bounty heads," Spike corrected. "But something seemed rather odd with those delirious cowboys."

"You noticed?" Julia mentioned before she gave Spike a peck on the cheek. She put down the large bag on the counter. "I noticed that the shops located around Tharsis were vacant, both the lots and the interiors. Very few people remained, heh, I was lucky I still had some service when I got to the checkout; it's almost as though they're not taking the storm very seriously."

"It must have something to do with that strange case involving the planet called Empyrea, and The Master bringing them there."

"That reminds me," Julia said, "I saw two people while I was heading out. They were handing out brochures like this one." She pulled it out of her pocket. On the pamphlet was a man that had his arms spread out wearing a long, white robe. The sunlight behind him was making the figure obscure in the sky blue background. The header was in bold print as was the footer, The Drifters, and enlightenment await you!

"It's very strange; I've seen some religious groups before, but nothing as so unusual as this. And I'm not a religious follower, either."

Trudy faced Spike, "Have we ever dealt with any cults like this?"

He hesitated for a bit, trying to recollect his thoughts, "Hmm, well I guess I do recall the time we dealt with this one occult; the one that had this virtual game and Faye was Dr. Londes' number one target. I would also count those ax-crazy environmentalists." He then smiled, "Remember Vincent?"

She nodded her head really fast; it was too bad that Julia never met up with Spike at that time. Though he did generalize her to Lieutenant Elektra briefly.

"I...think we should look at that supermarket again. They may still be here." Julia suggested.

They decided unanimously to arrive at the designated location together, and to try not to let the occult dissuade and distract them on their duties. They were aware of Trudy's short attention span, so they needed to keep a keen eye on her in case she'd slip away, like two anchors securing a buoy prone to going astray.

A few weeks back, Spike's friend, Doohan, had modified Julia's destroyed Ferrari and converted the remaining parts into her own zipcraft, the Hearthstone. It's built much like the Swordfish II but since it wasn't made from a MONO racer. It lacked speed, though it was built with lasers and bullets, possesses a mobile cockpit, and performs with excellent agility. And it looked similar too with its sleek model and folding wingspan. They were both stationed on top of their apartment.

Each of the wings opened, with Spike's being the first. He recommended Trudy to ride shotgun with Julia, and she followed the Swordfish II closely.

* * *

At the vacant, massive parking lot, the pilots docked their ships and hooked them up to a pair of fuselage tanks. They soon came across some occult members at the rear of the supermarket. A gang met up with the trio, wearing the same white robes that Julia saw on the brochure.

"Looks like they're hunting for some weak cattle." Spike said. "Stay alert."

"Spike, Julia, and Trudy I presume." A Drifter walked up to them, wearing a cheerful expression. "Looks like you bounty hunters could use a vacation, getting all so weary from your long travels and strenuous work." He eyed Julia and Trudy as well as the others. "How about it, ladies? Imagine, a lifetime of peace and serenity, never worrying about money nor violence. I am certain that is what you both want, for people as frail as you." He cupped Julia's chin and lifted it toward his glazy eyes.

"Get your hands off her!" Spike countered. "Julia, don't listen to him!"

He quickly eyed her partner and gazed deeply back. "Ah, you two will be together forever, not worrying about being the hunted by crime organizations nor scoundrels. You will have no need to be scared anymore, living in peaceful bliss and freedom as one."

"I-I..." Julia seemed to be swept by his words, while Trudy remained silent. They never thought on how the cult knew so much about them. But with Spike on the other hand...

"Eragh!" He charged toward him with a punch. Then the rest of the group gained on him. It was little to no problem for the hothead as he bashed each hypnotist to the ground. Seeing his amazing fighting skills, a couple tried to scammer away, but someone else had them cornered. A red robot ambushed them as he leapt down at the other side of the brawl, but only Spike noticed.

"Oh, great..." he mumbled. Though the Maverick Hunter wasted no time to finish them off, rendering them half to death like all the others.

By the time the coast was clear, Spike went to Julia, desperate to snap her out of that enticing funk. He laid his hands on her shoulders, looking at her squarely in the face. "Julia, Julia!"

"Unh, Spike." Her features returned to normal.

"Thought I'd lost you there for a minute." his voice reduced to a low pitch as he pasted a smile.

She embraced him, "Oh, Spike. I never want to leave you, never again. We can go wherever you want to go."

"Sounds right to me." They were looming closer for a kiss.

"Zero!" Trudy became excited, disturbing the romance.

"Hey, look what the cat dragged in." He walked toward the group.

"Zero. Never thought I'd see you here." Julia said. "I thought you'd be with Jet at headquarters."

"I would. But there was an unexpected turn of events." Everyone listened as he explained that earlier today Jet went missing. He walked out without a trace while he was still in slumber, inside his own capsule that was transported from his former base in Abel City. He tried calling him, but the transmission was always lost. Even Jet's Hammerhead was gone, and he never even posted a note nor used any form of contact.

Zero also tried to message Faye, but even she was unavailable. He was going to call Spike, Julia, and/or Trudy until he heard the Big Shot bulletin. He downloaded the intel from it, and upon Julia's request, he pressed on his nose and a small sheet along with mugshots from his helmet provided everything they needed. The data read as follows on each of the black criminal boards:

 **Takeshi Lucero Crowley**  
Age: 37  
Bounty: ₩15,000  
Planet: Venus

He appeared to be nearly six feet tall, had a bald, elliptical head, very heavy eyebrows, and a beard and mustache that were almost paper thin and had sharp edges. He also donned on a shiny, opaque uniform with red linings that Spike thought he could belong to the Yakuza. There was also a petite female to his right:

 **Lyn Targoons Dogma**  
Age: 37  
Bounty: ₩15,000  
Planet: Venus

She had long, wild, blond hair that had portions covered by rose petals, a pale red ribbon was on top, she had long, ruby-painted fingernails that were about six inches; and glossy lips that matched the same shade as her sultry nails. She also smiled widely as her deep eyes sparkled with some sort of evil sneer. To Trudy, she didn't think she looked like her age; almost as if she was just Takeshi's...playgirl.

"Hmm, so these are our bait." Trudy wondered.

"Yes. I'm surprised they're even the zealous types." Julia said.

"Looks can always be deceiving." Spike commented.

"Julia said she found some fanatics here." Trudy mentioned. "I think we should keep looking."

"Good thing I saw your zipcrafts here while I was flying overhead. Let's kick it." Zero muttered.

They decided to search the place; Zero and Spike investigated the interior, while Julia and Trudy searched the exterior.

The guys trekked through every aisle, looking for some kind of subliminal message for the unsuspecting public. In his peripheral vision, Spike saw a glimmering white light through two massive doors leading to a backroom for shop employees. He looked through the small windows and noticed the spacious room was crowded with rows of folding chairs. He signaled Zero to come over, and the men found an overhead presenting Planet Emperyea, with the bot analyzing the footage.

"An overhead.. That's just so archaic." Spike murmured in discontent.

Some people tried to leave from their seats, thinking the spectators were irritated by the nonsensical rubbish being fed to their heads, though the presentation kept stopping abruptly as a beam of light from the ceiling shined on whomever was uncomfortable. A male voice always convinced them to remain in their seats till the overhead ended.

Several minutes have passed. Spike then rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Screw this. You got the info, Zero?"

"Right here, Spike." he stated as he tapped his noodle, being his helmet. "C'mon, we should get to the others before WE lose our minds. Heh, I can sometimes understand why people say that TV can rot your brain."

* * *

Julia and Trudy wound up near a food stand of sorts. It was serving some bowls of brown gruel to patrons who were willing to buy those suspicious free samples. Before they knew it, their stomachs began to rumble. Then the women saw the customers sit at wooden benches, and they realized the two bounty heads standing behind them!

Trudy gasped and tapped her partner on the shoulder, "Julia, the zealots are here." She pointed toward the location, then the lot had different sections. One was structured in a circle, and they made it out as the ring of judgement, designed to destroy any self-esteem from their empty minds, and stomachs. Another portion was led by a chant supporting the Master and encouraging people to lose their wills. They noticed it was led by Lyn herself, while Takeshi was just roaming for some "weak cattle."

Spike's warning rang in Julia's ears. "Trudy." She snapped her out of her reverie. "Why don't you get one of those bowls so Zero could analyze it." She obliged, but Julia made a tight grip on her shoulder, "Whatever you do, don't eat it, as this would make you one of those brainless followers. Never let your guard down."

Trudy nodded and did just that following the queue. A eerily happy-go-lucky man greeted her. She paused, then accepted the Master's offering. She brought it with her as she walked back to Julia, but she was halted by Takeshi.

"Hold it right there. You're not leaving without the Master's supplement." He led her to one of the rear wooden tables, while Julia stood and gave her a serious glance.

The first location was indeed the rows of tables where the rest of the followers ate like pigs, literally. This actually made her feel grossed out, almost as if she was seeing the Brother's Grunt surround her. Luckily the disgusting displays were cut short as Takeshi and Lyn announced from their podium.

"Attention, everyone. Let us rejoice this glorious day the Master has provided before us." Lyn led the crowd. Then she and her associate led a repetitive chant to which Trudy became more annoyed.

"Ergh, why am I doing this?" she talked under her breath.

"The one woman here isn't budging." Lyn noticed.

Takeshi pointed her out. "You, Trudy." She looked up. "I'm certain your friends are waiting for you in Planet Emperyea. They are with the Master as we speak."

Lyn added, "In fact, we already have two of them here now."

From behind a distant, tall settlement, Julia gasped and theorized they were-

Trudy was a bit intimidated by the thought. How could Spike and Zero fall for them so easily? Then she heard Lyn and Takeshi encouraging the brainwashed followers. They tried to demoralize her as they chanted about the Bebop, and Trudy became outraged. She dropped her hands after covering her irritating ears.

"Ergh, ergh! No! How do you know about the Bebop?! It was destroyed in the war and-" She completely lost her train of thought as she saw two other bounty hunters walk up to them. "J-Jet..? Faye? They can't be!"

"It is us, Trudy." she spoke.

"Yes. We have been waiting for you to come with us." Jet added in a more unusually happy fashion. She never saw him so easygoing and carefree like this. He was always the uptight type; this was incredibly unusual to her. "What's the matter? Aren't you bringing Spike, Julia, and Zero with us? We would love their company."

"The Master would be pleased once he unites all us bounty hunters in his bosom." Faye said.

"Faye..? J-Jet..!" She saw them walk up to her closer and closer. She was terrified, even petrified since she couldn't remove from her seat.

"Let's go." Trudy felt a strong grip on her shoulder. Julia went to her side. The cowgirl immediately gather the gruel as she followed her out. Sure enough, the whole unit of fanatics were on their tail!

* * *

Spike and Zero walked out onto the pavement. They became a bit anxious as they saw the surveillance peeking over them, wondering if those Drifters could spot 'em on a moment's notice. Spike, on the other hand, couldn't wait to rip the bounty heads a brand new one; this worried Zero a little as he hasn't really lost his desire to fight, perhaps a spark from Vicious' blood.

"Spike! Zero!"

"Uh-Julia, Trudy!" The afro hunter was completely startled.

Panting, they warned the duo the Drifters were after them, and they brainwashed Jet and Faye.

"We got trouble BIG trouble! Jet and Faye got caught! It was a trap!" Trudy raved.

Spike grew more angsty, "What did you say?!"

The mob was gaining on them, leaving them no time for an explanation. They then retreated with zealots chasing them. Spike momentarily stopped and faced the humongous mob, making a fighting stance. "Come at me, you bastards! Wha-hey!"

Zero was tugging him at the back of his overcoat. "This isn't a fight we can win here! We must go!" Spike followed and punched the controls on the Swordfish, lifting it off the ground after yanking off the fuel pump! He tried to catch his breath as the other crafts followed with no particular destination.

The bot eventually scanned the product, and he spoke over the comm that inside were chemicals killing brain cells more rapidly than alcohol. Julia and Trudy told the boys they noticed a food stand located a foot away from the lot. Spike and Zero found a presentation about the mystical settlement.

Still, Trudy's mind was so fixed on one glaring issue. "Jet and Faye got caught. We gotta retrieve them! Now!"

The Swordfish led the way as it circled over the barren Martian deserts. "If we return to Tharsis, we're sitting ducks." Spike said. He slammed a fist on the motherboard, "Dammit!"

Julia was just as shocked, "Spike..." Trudy wasn't feeling any better as she was starting to lose hope. The Drifters already manipulated all of Mars, and Jet and Faye were in the middle of it.

"Spike. We need you for this." Zero said, as the only one not being discouraged. He even heard him voice his defeat, that they would be next. "Oh no we're not. The Drifters didn't get us yet."

"It seems they're using our weaknesses and exploiting them to take advantage of us." Julia reasoned. "We must get Jet and Faye back."

The Swordfish II soon came across an old barn of sorts and then left the formation.

"Spike! Where are you going?" Zero queried.

"I believe I found something, Zero. I need to take a look. You guys cover for me."

Without any care to see if there were any pursuing zealots, Spike investigated the dead fields. After a few moments of searching, he went inside the rusty door. He looked up and noticed the large, broken gap through the roof, almost as if fire or rather exhaust has escaped from it. He knelt down and touched a finger toward the enormous scar some humongous, circular vessel left.

"This must've cost it a hell of a fistful of woolongs." he spoke to himself.

Through the dim lighting from the roof, despite some falling debris, he found a poster of sorts displaying the bliss on staying within the resort of Emperyea. Then, something struck his interest. In his anger, he ripped the thing to shreds. With a shaking fist, Spike spoke through his clenched teeth, "I will never... NEVER let them get away with this!" He hurried out and fired up the zipcraft.

By the time he met up with the Shuttle and Hearthstone, he concluded that the Drifters, the two bounty heads, and Jet and Faye would be taken to somewhere at the edge of the universe, then he recognized a blurry, distorted image of Pluto and it's neighboring moon, Charon as he looked at the poster for Emperyea.

"To Pluto." Julia repeated.

"Good eye, Spike." Zero complimented with glee.

"There was no Master, only just Takeshi and Lyn planning this. And they're manipulating our money and property to make this bullshit journey. Don't you see, they're running the planet and soon the whole galaxy dry! Just before the dust storm, the time when us Martians would be the most vulnerable." Spike found out; he was so revved up he could barely think straight.

"And they already took over Venus. We have to take them by force. Even though it's stealing; they were willing to surrender their wills anyway." Zero mentioned.

"But first we need to go through the asteroid belt. Julia, you stay behind me with Zero."

"No way. I'm coming with you, Spike." the Maverick Hunter volunteered. "And for once...you actually developed a plan." Everyone was a bit flabbergasted.

Spike briefly paused on the comment, "Yeah. That, does sound like a plan. Let's do it." He held onto the helm so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

They shot several of them apart, including using the fatal plasma beam cannon from the Swordfish. They later took a Hyperspace Gate at Jupiter to Pluto, knowing the Hammerhead and Red Tail could be on their sixes.

They soon arrived at the dwarf planet, Pluto, just about to enter the Kuiper Belt. It was said that it housed numerous icy bodies, as this region was still being formulated by the start of the Big Bang. Spike, Trudy, and Julia got there first. They landed their vehicles just a few yards away and saw all the captors working tirelessly at the surface which seemed to be encased in oxygen somehow. They came across Takeshi, then Lyn meeting up with him outside a large complex. Lines of people from Venus and Mars were just slaving away collecting rock and ice particles without even straining or caring for their own welfare, literally hyper focused on the so-called Master, and at times worshipping him.

"Hey, where's Zero?" Trudy asked looking behind her station.

"His spacecraft must've been slower than the other zipcrafts; his Shuttle is more primitive, after all, since it was made from Earth. I'm sure he'll catch up to us eventually." Julia said.

"I think it's about time we blow this damn joint, get everyone and their stuff together." Spike said. "Ok. 3, 2, 1. Let's jam." he loaded his Jericho and headed toward the base with the women by his suit ties.

Meanwhile, the quartet saw the group head into their stronghold. "They have come." Takeshi said to his subjects. "Only there are three; Spike, Julia, and Trudy."

"We know how to deal with them." Faye answered.

"Yes." Jet added. "The first thing we must do to convert them is clip Spike's wings before he soars too high; they depend on him."

"When one domino falls, so do the others. He has to be demoralized."

Upon their entrance, with guns drawn, they saw Lyn naked to the third base, showing off her irresistible body against the fluorescent lights shining against her. Julia and Trudy grew worried of Spike's changing demeanor, even though the young cowgirl kept looking away.

He raised a hand to keep them back, then he slowly went closer to her. She began to ogle him as he looked her over, from the front, sides, and back, top and bottom.

"It seems you are being aroused by me. Glad you would be able to join us...Spike." Lyn whispered.

"I guess The Master is considered to be both you and Takeshi; but I would be a part of the Drifters, as long as I am by your side."

She cupped his chin, "I wouldn't want anything more. Even if we were to go even well beyond this universe..."

He nodded slowly, "I would be more than happy to..." He stopped in midsentence as Julia shut down the power grid. "Not!" Trudy immediately did a roundhouse kick toward Lyn's shin, forcing her off the ledge.

The trio was ambushed by zealots and they fought them off. That was until a shot rang out from behind. Faye made her entry, holding her Glock 30 toward the resisters.

"Faye! What're you doing?" Julia cried.

"Drop your weapons!" A gruff voice forced the team to look toward Jet and Takeshi, with the former aiming his Walthier P99. They all submitted as they were surrounded by the two bounty heads, Faye and Jet, and more followers. They couldn't believe what was happening to them!

"Jet! You can't be serious!" Trudy angrily stated.

"You won't convert us all!" Spike added, just as pissed.

"Faye, what is happening to you?!" Julia spoke up. "Come on, Zero, hurry." she whispered.

She twirled her Glock around her fingers. "Don't you know? We have become their special bodyguards."

Lyn stood up and she sneered as she stood next to her lover. "Indeed we are." Jet said. "We have heard about Emperyea personally, and instead of spending an eternity laboring on Pluto and sacrificing our life savings, they had offered us an extraordinary opportunity. We WERE looking forward to seeing their savior."

"This is ridiculous!" Spike retorted. "You guys know there's no savior here! You two were being set up; knowing damn well we were the galaxy's best bounty hunters."

"Takeshi and Lyn knew about the Bebop and the Red Dragons because you told them!" Trudy shouted. "It was just a way to force us into submission!"

"Oh, we're just getting started." Lyn hissed. "Since my charm wasn't enough for you, Spike, I'd rather have HER out of the equation."

Julia was taken hostage and thrown toward a stasis tube, where the air was being sucked out of the vacuum while it was reaching temperatures as frigid as the vast reaches of space.

"Spike!"

He looked up and saw her helpless state. "Julia!" He countered the men, but Jet was even quicker, immobilizing his heroic, foolhardy plan.

"Don't worry about me, Spike! You have to save the galaxy-!" she was beginning to suffocate, and Spike and Trudy could only watch in horror.

A plasma shot exploded inside and through the smoke, it turned out to be Zero with his Z-Buster. He soon reached her, punched and shattered the glass, took her out, and laid her down. Spike recklessly knocked the bounty heads and some of the zealots out with raw anger and desperation, hoping to get to Julia. While Trudy did the same.

He soon did and seeing her pale face performed mouth-to-mouth while encouraging her to breathe. She let out some coughs after a few intense moments, then the facility was about to explode from the Maverick's impact.

Spike and Zero dragged out the unconscious terrorists thanks to some backup from extraterrestrials that returned to their senses. Some even held Jet and Faye at gunpoint. But there was a blinding light from above in contrast with the opaque sky around them. At first glance, the group thought it belonged to the so-called holy Master of theirs, but it turned out to be coming from a familiar large mothership. Inside was a pilot clad in black leather, complete with a mask and a flowing headband. It turned out to be the space samurai/former cowboy, Andy Von De Oniyate, taking away their bounty via tractor beam.

"Looks like I got your loot for once! Thanks for clearing the way for me!" he cackled as he lifted off, with his steed riding shotgun.

"Man, you dirty dog." Spike murmured.

"Son of a both stole our bounty!" Trudy cried as she stomped hard.

"Typical cowboy." Zero growled.

The facility continued to demolish itself, and the damage was spreading rapidly. "Everyone, evacuate. Go back to your home planets!" Spike declared. Everyone scurried to their own corresponding space craft, yet the stubborn cowboy actually went back while the crew was also running.

Noticing someone was missing, Julia gasped as she looked yonder. "Spike!"

"Oh no!" Trudy yelped.

"What're you doing? Spike!" Zero called.

Inside, the smoke was getting thicker, cutting off his breathing and vision. The heat was rising, and the building collapsed more. Despite the crumbling drug lords' base, he managed to punch around the computer and anxiously waited for all the billions of woolongs be downloaded onto the flash drive he saw earlier sticking out like a sore thumb. By the time it reached 100% completion, the facility was trapping him in!

The onlookers were in utter shock as Spike never exited to safety while the entire hideout was blowing into space dust. Including the gigantic vessel itself.

"Spike!" Trudy, Julia, and the others screamed for his demise. Within a shockwave, the entire place was completely destroyed with absolutely no chance of any survivors. His beloved then sank to her knees and cried while Zero did his best to comfort her and Trudy. The rest of them just stood in still silence. What was that thing Spike went back for?

Just then, the bot detected movement and he ran toward the edge. Just beneath him by a few miles down...

The cocky bounty hunter narrowly escaped with his life in his spacesuit holding onto the side of a nearby precipice. "Ergh, Zero! I could really use a lift right about now!"

"I see him!" Zero cried out back toward the team. "It's Spike! He's alive!"

He almost instantly obliged, and everyone was so relieved he survived the unsurmountable! With his jetpacks beneath his feet, Zero brought Spike up and was instantly caught in Julia's loving embrace. Despite the tight bearhug, he drew out the flash drive from a pocket. It was tempting, but the team unanimously decided to donate all the money and the owner's equity back as Anonymous.

* * *

They headed back to Mars in silence, well, mostly Jet and Faye. While "Born to be Alive" was blasting within the Swordfish II, Trudy commented he should be a baritone since the chorus reminded her of him singing that. He did try, and both she and Julia giggled at his silly attempt.

Somewhere within the expanding Martian desert, Jet and Faye were talking amongst themselves. He activated his comm via Hammerhead to all channels.

"Hold up, everyone."

"What's up, Jet?" Julia queried.

After a brief pause, and Spike urging him to speak, he said there was a confession to make. The zipcrafts and the Shuttle landed upon his orders, and the team met him and Faye outside.

"Alright spill the beans, old timer." Spike said with a slight trace of irritation. "You said so yourself you two volunteered as bodyguards for those bastards. What's going on?"

They looked toward each other before they explained that they were actually "acting" instead of really being influenced by the Drifters' ways. Zero wasn't since he's a robot.

"We were only pretending; in fear of losing everything." Faye mentioned. "...We're so sorry, you guys."

Looking at their somber expressions made Trudy lose it. She even punched Faye to the ground and glared at Jet, ready to destroy him! Julia and Spike held her back during her rage, telling her it was enough. From the sudden impact, Faye just got the wind knocked out her, even some internal bleeding. Jet just stood there, even when she continued to rave with all her angsts.

"You've done this on purpose! You had this coming! I'm sick of all those betrayals!" She referred to the time when she had to confront Spike infected by Vicious' blood. "I looked up to you guys and I was just opening up to you!" she ranted toward Jet and Faye respectively. "We did all this to save your pathetic asses! If you hadn't betrayed us, WE WOULD'VE STOOD A CHANCE! I'm no longer supporting you guys AGAIN!" She stormed away, leaving her remaining friends so hapless and hurt.

"Trudy..!" Julia had a loss for words, feeling her pain and agony. She wanted to go after her, but Spike held her back, thinking she should calm herself first.

"It's how do you say, her faith is shaking?"

Julia sighed, "Very good, that's exactly how she feels, Zero."

A couple days have passed, and Julia would never stop worrying of Trudy's whereabouts. Nor her dwindling hopes on finding her before the dust storm should hit. Spike and Zero volunteered to use their crafts to look for her, while they reluctantly accepted Jet's and Faye's offer as well. He said it won't be an easy feat since he knows of the canyon's expanding and empty environment, not to mention the infinite number of craters located throughout. Spike, Julia, and Zero were the most persistent, searching for any signs all day and night, while occasionally stopping for refuel.

One day, during the early morning, despite Mars having shorter days than on Earth, Spike found a little campsite complete with a bonfire and tent; he certainly was the most confident since he recalled Trudy as a survivor living in the slums. Thinking he'd find some intel, he landed his Swordfish a few feet away. He began to investigate the campground and noticed a figure emerging from a large, steep crater. She was actually readjusting her pants as she got to the top.

"Trudy!"

"Ah-Spike?" She ran toward him, and sure enough there he was.

"Where have you been?! We were all worried sick about you, especially Julia!" he said.

"I'm sorry, Spike. But I never wanted to go back after Jet's and Faye's betrayals. I can't trust them again. Why did you come here..?"

He hesitated, then smiled, "Do I really need a reason to help someone?"

That warmed her heart as he recalled the same phrase she uses whenever HE was in a bind, including those times with Vicious.

"Swimming Bird."

It turned out she came across Laughing Bull's camp. He took her in at her most vulnerable state, and during the last two days, tried to convince her to return to Tharsis to Swimming Bird and Hearthstone before the dust storm. And also try to reconcile with Rolling Rock and Red Tail. His son and his wolf were also nice company. He knew that deep down, the Wandering Star would look into her heart, reminisce on all the things they've done for her, and forgive them while rekindling her trust and friendship for them respectively, while also enduring the pangs from her deep hatred and betrayal like any adult would. In the Swordfish, she never wanted Spike and Julia to worry, and she promises to try again when the storm passes over.

But until Trudy is willing to talk to them, only time would tell.

 **A/N: Some of the names for the new bounty heads were made up. But others such as Lyn and Lucero, not to mention their age, were references to that rotten succubus, maryjoyg38; it was meant to be a sort of cyber insult to her and her pathetic mockery of all the F-Zero characters she created! I, for once, am being really dark, as I feel I should actually...plagiarize a plagiarist! Ha ha ha! :) I definitely want the worst to happen to that monkey!**

 **That song by Patrick Hernandez really does get me going; especially after hearing it from Vegas Vacation. I always fantasized that Spike would sing those lines during the chorus. Too bad we never heard him sing at all, despite those other times when he was actually jamming. He should also actually start feeling as if he IS alive. rather than just living in a dream.**

 **Also, Andy, as we know, has debuted in Cowboy Funk, as a sort of eccentric rival to Spike in terms of combat and bounty hunting. So, I decided to throw him in for lulz.**

 **And Takeshi's image was an inspiration from one of the members of the Wing Kong in Big Trouble in Little China.**

 **I'm not sure if you'd noticed, but some of the betrayal was based off of the Garlic Jr. saga in DBZ; specifically, Krillin's and Piccolo's betrayals. I'm surprised Gohan still trusts them after all the beatings and misery he had to go through since they were "pretending" to be influenced by an outside force. Seriously, wouldn't anyone be pissed if their friend/mentor happens to betray those they look up to?! I hated it!**

 **Another story done; maybe the next one would involve Spike and Zero having a confrontation with one another, as a sort of love triangle over Julia. But, we'll see. So, until then...**

 _ **SEE YOU, SPACE COWBOY!**_


End file.
